Sunday, 21 December 2014

A packed church last night at St Catherine Labouré in Leyland witnessed a wonderful Carol Concert, organised by Chev. Anthony Dickinson KLJ, raising funds for the Grand Priory of Great Britain's charity, SUROL - Cardinal Ranjith's organisation working for the relief of those suffering from leprosy in Sri Lanka.

Members of the Octavius Chamber Choir gave of their time and talents to uplift and entertain members of the Order, parishioners and others form the local community. The choir's organist and Musical Director is David Scott Thomas (who is also the Musical Director and Organist at Preston Minster.)

They chose a great selection of music, from traditional favourites such as the Sussex Carol to Santa Claus is coming to Town! As well as traditional carols for everyone to join in with. All interspersed with readings both sacred and secular.

From the collection and donations for the evening the event raised close to £5,000 for the Order, which is absolutely fantastic. Our thanks to the wonderful singers of Octavius Chamber Choir, to David Scott Thomas, to Chev. Anthony Dickinson, to the parishioners assisting with serving the mulled wine and mince pies afterwards and to everyone who came along and donated such a generous amount of money to such a good cause. The oft talked about spirit of Christmas is well and truly alive in the Order and here in St Catherine's.

Friday, 19 December 2014

As the previous post revealed, the Order of St Lazarus now has a fully fledged Grand Priory in the Kingdom of Belgium. It was a well organised weekend and a great credit to the new Grand Prior and the other members of the Order there.

The splendid church of St Michael was full for the occasion.

The Grand Master presents the flag to the new Prior.

Chaplains from the Grand Priory of Great Britain in attendance.

New members preparing to be received.

The Grand Prior of France and the Grand Master await the ceremonies.

Atavis et Armis!

Jean-Claude Babin is promoted to the rank of Brother Servant.

Pierre Piccinin da Prata is received into the Order.

A journalist and author, in April 2013, Pierre was on his eighth trip to Syria, when he was abducted in the city of al-Qousseyr. You can read of his horrific experiences in his own account here"Syria - A Journey to Hell." (Although be warned, the video footage is not for the faint-hearted.) A testimony to the calibre of the members of the Belgium Priory

Nicolas Borderioux is promoted to Brother Servant.

Glimpse of an early Christmas tree - even before the fourth Sunday of Advent!

Holy Mass - to pray for blessings upon the new Grand Priory.

The boys of the excellent choir - the Little Singers of Belgium.

THE RECEPTION

Chateau Sainte-Anne was the impressive setting for the Reception and Dinner.

THe new Grand Prior of Belgium, HE Damien van Bellingham with the wife of the Grand Prior of France, Diana Álvares Pereira de Melo, 11th Duchess of Cadaval, and H.E. Thierry Pauquet de Villejust, Grand Bailiff of the USA, where the Order is flourishing under his guidance.

Tuesday, 16 December 2014

This past weekend saw a gathering of members of the Order from all over the world as the Commandery in Belgium was raised to the status of a Grand Priory. Members gathered in the church of St John for the celebration of Mass celebrated by chaplain General of the Order in France, Rev Fr Claude Girault, Rector of the Cathedral of Orléans. Mass was greatly enhanced by the singers of the Petits Chanteurs de Belgique, who sang the Missa Brevis de Léo Delibes (you can here the Kyrie from it here.) During the Mass the Grand Master, Jan Count Dobrzensky z Dobrzenicz, erected the new Grand Priory of the Kingdom of Belgium under the leadership of its new Grand Prior, Damien Van Bellinghen.

The interior of the church.

Château Sainte-Anne on the edge of the Forest of Soignes.

A glittering Reception and Charity Dinner followed at the Château Sainte-Anne. A few informal photos below capture some of the evening but we hope that more will follow.

Monday, 24 November 2014

The Grand Priory of Great Britain organised a lovely concert of organ music and some pieces sung by the choir at the church of St Joseph in Stokesley, North Yorkshire recently. Parish Priest, Fr William Charlton, somewhat surprised his congregation with his prowess on the organ (obviously during Mass he's usually rather busy elsewhere).

Fr Charlton became a Chaplain to the Order of St Lazarus earlier this year in Derbyshire and organised the recital in support of our charity in Sri Lanka, SUROL, looking after those suffering from leprosy. We were delighted to see a full church and rejoiced at the generosity of the parishioners in giving £1,000 to the work of the Order. A big thank you to Fr Charlton, the singers and parishioners - as well as those who organised the refreshments afterwards.

Fr Charlton conducting the schola.

In a fitting link to the Order of St Lazarus, there is a fine window depicting the raising of Lazarus in the church (pictured above). It's one of a series designed in the 1940's by the then Parish Priest, Fr John J. MacDonnell. Some of the others are pictured below. They are very atmospheric and although traditional in style at first glance, have a definite modern twist to them. Perhaps part of that tradition that is sometimes called the "other modern", when referring to ecclesiastical works of art that are innovative but remain in the tradition of sacred art instead of aping the nihilistic forms of secular modern art that we have so often subjected to in churches over recent decades.